Cichlids Are A Rubbing!

[fry_lover]

Bought a tank with some cichlids already in it (malawi mostly)

Water tests his end (the seller) were fine,

ammonia - no reading
nitrite - no reading
nitrate - under 40 mg/l
pH - in-between 7.5 and 8.0
temp - 79F

Transport was as "stress" free as possible, 20 mins on the car, well packed, one fish per bag

put into (within 10 mins of getting home and 30-40 minutes approx since being bagged) 50% fresh water (de-chlorinated and left to stand for 24 hrs previous) and 50% old tank water from aquarium they came from (and all at temp 78-80F)

Water in their new tank is same as above readings


Question.....

Some of the fish (3-4 inch Malawi) are rubbing against the sand, as much as four or five times per minute although not doing it all the time

as, water quality is not really an issue, i guess it can be stress related?

However, i dont really buy into the school of thought that fish "rub or flick" purely due to stress / psychological reasons

how long shall i give it before i consider an anti-parastite med? and if so, what one?

just because there is nothing visible on skin, doesnt mean "it aint there" LOL

what are peeps view here?

 

[WILDER]

Just raise temp abit for now.

 

[fry_lover]

what do you reckon Wilder, its running at 80.5F as we speak, shall i jack it up to 84F and ensure good aeration and water surface movement, could even go to 86F and it wont harm them with enough O2?

 

[WILDER]

84 don't want to stress them to much with just coming into a new enviroment.
Plenty of aeration, good luck hope it's not the dreaded whitespot.

 

[fry_lover]

cheers Wilder

but as for White Spot, i kept fish for years and had my fair share of white spot, NEVER had a fish die from white spot, meds work EVERY time, i dont consider white spot a problem, but then again i dont keep Clown Loach LOL

 

[WILDER]

Only had it once with my fish thank god, but it took two rounds of whitespot med.
If you catch whitespot fast you stand a good chance, as the parasites soon damage the gills.
Check the fish over for tiny bubbles.

 

[andywg]

If it is white spot, just jacking up the temp without any actual treatment is only going to cause the pathogen to spread quicker. I would leave the temp alone until you are sure it is whitespot and then you can raise the temp while treating.

 

[Ferris]

The "flicking" you describe is perfectly normal behaviour for Malawi cichlids. - It is usually a sign of aggression whilst establishing territories but can aslo be a part of a mating ritual.

I suspect the move has made them feel they need to re-establish themselves - almost certainly nothing to worry about.

 

[fry_lover]

thanks for the replies everyone, interesting point Ferris, thanks

 

[Gatorbait]

I was going to say the same thing as Ferris said. Malawi cichlids usually do this. I remember the first time I had them I started panicking when they did it.